DARK REIGN

John Gwynne continues The Banished Lands saga in Of Blood And Bone

After wrapping up The Faithful And The Fallen, John Gwynne still wanted to explore the Banished Lands, but without re-treading any old ground. Consequently, he has based his new series Of Blood And Bone in the same fictional realm – although 130 years have since passed.

“It seemed like the best of both worlds to me,” Gwynne tells Red Alert. “Having the break in time between the two series allows for a new set of characters and conflicts to have arisen.”

Much has changed in the Banished Lands. “Where once there were many fractured kingdoms, now there is one central power that is expanding its boundaries even wider,” explains Gwynne. “My approach to writing both series is that I’m writing about a mythological Dark Ages Europe. The Faithful And The Fallen was inspired by Caesar’s Gallic War while A Time of Dread is inspired more by the Fall of the Roman Empire, Attila the Hun and the Volsung saga, with a liberal dose of Norse and Celtic mythology.

“There are links to the first series,” he adds, “but they’re not vital to understanding or enjoying this new tale. “I’ve written this new series to be an entry point into the Banished Lands. My hope is that new readers will find this book entertaining without any prior knowledge, while readers of the first series will enjoy the references to old characters and events.”

A Time of Dread is published on 11 January.